Editorial: Political correctness is not just for liberals

U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany's remarks two weeks ago about the Affordable Care Act threw conservatives into a tizzy, illustrating an unfortunate reality of today's political climate.

These days, officials have to choose their words carefully, avoiding the slightest appearance of straying from their party's positions and philosophy.

Unfortunately, that kind of caution stifles free discussion of all sides of important issues.

In the past two weeks, Boustany, a Lafayette Republican, has been actively reasserting in the media his opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, in an apparent effort to counteract the effects of those remarks he made at a July 2 meeting of the Lafayette Rotary Club North. In his speech and again after the meeting during a videotaped interview with The Daily Advertiser, Boustany indicated he would favor Medicaid expansion under the ACA in Louisiana. He also said the ACA is a flawed piece of legislation and that officials should work to improve ACA processes, according to an article in The Daily Advertiser.

Those remarks appeared to indicate a departure from his rigid stance against the ACA - he voted against it 37 times - and that seemed to trigger a flurry of criticism from those who oppose "Obamacare," along with praise from its proponents.

Within a short time, the conservative Red State blog stated Boustany should lose his position as a subcommittee chairman for the Ways and Means Committee.

Since that time, Boustany's office has been working hard to counteract the impression that the Louisiana congressman may have changed his original position on Obamacare.

A news release was sent by his office Thursday to remind constituents that Boustany voted to delay implementation of the employer mandate and the individual mandate. It also mentioned legislation introduced by Boustany to repeal the employer mandate.

Boustany was quoted in a July 17 article on NOLA.com as saying, "I never suggested that," referring to news reports that he now supports Medicaid expansion.

It's impossible to speculate what Boustany, a physician, actually was suggesting.

But it is painfully clear that politicians must be especially careful when expressing opinions about issues like the ACA, which evokes strong feelings. The shame of it is that it's nearly impossible to discuss controversial issues freely in a political climate in which each side has its own version of political correctness that no one dares breach without consequences.

Such a climate stifles meaningful discussions of issues like health care reform and the myriad important issues that face Congress every session.

It is a sad commentary on today's political environment that a few sentences uttered by an elected official could potentially have such a negative impact on political discourse and a politician's career.

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Editorial: Political correctness is not just for liberals

U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany's remarks two weeks ago about the Affordable Care Act threw conservatives into a tizzy, illustrating an unfortunate reality of today's political climate.